This invention relates to furniture such as shelving or the like, and more particularly to a pull-out system for providing movement of furniture such as high density shelving between a retracted position and an extended position.
Various systems are known for providing pull-out movement of an article of furniture, such as a shelf, bookcase or the like, between a retracted position and an extended position. Systems of this type are useful for providing high density storage, in that there is no aisle between adjacent units. Access to a unit is obtained by pulling the unit outwardly to its extended position while leaving the adjacent units in the retracted position. This enables a user to access stored items from the front or rear of the unit.
Several types of known systems provide movement of a storage unit via engagement with a supporting surface such as a floor. In one form, the unit is mounted to a base having a set of wheels which provides movable support for the unit as it is moved between its extended and retracted positions. Another construction involves a hidden track system which is movable along with the unit and which includes spaced support members which engage the supporting surface as the unit is pulled outwardly to its extended position, and which are moved upwardly out of engagement with the supporting surface as the unit is returned to its retracted position. While these systems function satisfactorily to provide movement of a storage unit between extended and retracted positions, each is disadvantageous in certain applications in that the unit engages the floor as it is moved between its extended and retracted positions. In some usage environments, the unit will be mounted to or adjacent a floor having a wearable floor covering such as carpet, and repeated movements of the unit between its extended and retracted positions results in wear of such floor coverings.
To overcome this drawback, it is known to mount a stationary base to the floor, and to provide a telescoping frame assembly between the base and the storage unit. The telescoping frame assembly is adapted to provide cantilevered movement of the storage unit between its extended and retracted positions, without engagement with the floor or other supporting surface. This type of system functions generally satisfactorily, but the telescoping frame assembly is complex, heavy and difficult to manufacture and assemble in a cost-effective manner.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cantilevered extension and retraction system for use in combination with an article of furniture, to provide movement of the article of furniture between an extended and retracted position without engagement with a supporting surface such as a floor. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system which is relatively simple in its components and construction, yet which provides highly satisfactory and easy movement of the storage unit between its extended and retracted positions. It is a further object of the invention to provide such a system which involves a novel application of conventional components in an extension and retraction system. A still further object of the invention is to provide such a system which is easy to install and to interconnect with conventionally constructed storage units. A still further object of the invention is to provide such a system which can be differently configured to accommodate varying load requirements for the article of furniture.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a cantilevered pull-out system for an article of furniture, such as a storage unit, includes a base arrangement for mounting to a supporting surface such as a floor. One or more extendible and retractable slide members are adapted for interconnection with the base arrangement, and each slide member includes a stationary portion mounted to the base arrangement and an extendible and retractable portion movably mounted to the stationary portion. The article of furniture is adapted to be mounted to a support structure, which is secured to the extendible and retractable portion of each slide member. The slide members are constructed and arranged to provide movement of the support structure and the article of furniture between a retracted position in which the support structure and the article of furniture are located over the base arrangement, and a cantilevered extended position in which the support structure and the article of furniture are moved outwardly relative to the base without engagement of the support structure with the supporting surface.
The base arrangement is preferably in the form of two or more base members, each of which includes a slide member mounting section and a floor-mounting section for securement to the supporting surface. The stationary portion of each slide member is adapted for mounting to the slide member mounting section of each base member. The base members are separate from each other, and the floor-mounting section of each base member is secured to the supporting surface separately from that of the other base members. The stationary portions of the slide members span between and are supported above the supporting surface by the slide member mounting sections of the base members. The number of extendible and retractable slide members is selected according to the load requirements for the article of furniture, and the configuration of the slide member mounting section of each base member can vary according to the number of slide members to be mounted to the base members. The floor-mounting section of each base member is preferably in the form of a floor-engaging member which extends substantially transversely to the direction of movement of the support structure and the article of furniture between its extended and retracted positions, and the slide member mounting section of each base member is in the form of a series of slide mounting members extending upwardly from the floor-engaging member. Each floor-engaging member includes a floor-engaging flange adapted to receive one or more fasteners for engagement with the floor or other supporting surface, and an adjustable elevation member spaced from the floor-engaging flange. In a preferred form, each floor-engaging member defines a wall spaced vertically above the floor-engaging flange, and the adjustable elevation member includes a foot located below the wall and engageable with the supporting surface, and a threaded shank extending upwardly from the foot. The threaded shank is engaged with threaded structure associated with the wall of the floor-engaging member, such that turning of the threaded shank results in adjustment of the elevation of the foot to provide leveling of the floor-engaging member.
The one or more extendible and retractable slide members are preferably in the form of a series of substantially identically constructed slide members interposed between the base arrangement and the support structure. Each slide member may be a telescoping slide assembly, and the stationary portion of each slide assembly includes an axially extending guide member mounted to the base arrangement along its length. The base arrangement includes a pair of slide member mounting sections spaced along the length of the guide member of each slide assembly, and each guide member is mounted to the spaced slide member mounting sections. The extendible and retractable portion of each slide member is in the form of an extension member adapted for inward and outward telescoping movement relative to the guide member. The support structure is secured to the extendible and retractable portion of each slide member by means of an axially extending support member mounted to each extension member and engaged with the support structure.
The support structure preferably includes a releasable engagement arrangement for providing releasable mounting of the article of furniture to the support structure. In a preferred form, the support structure includes a rigid frame section for securement to the article of furniture, and a series of support members interposed between the rigid frame section and the extendible and retractable portions of the slide members. The support members are preferably in the form of elongated structural support members, each of which is mounted to an extension member of one of the slide members. In a preferred form, an outer pair of support members are interconnected with a pair of spaced cross-members, to make up the rigid frame section. Each support member may include a pair of spaced, upwardly extending projections which extend through a pair of openings formed in a transverse wall associated with the spaced crossmembers of the rigid frame section. A spacer arrangement may be interposed between the transverse wall and selected ones of the support members, for ensuring that the support members and the slide assemblies are equally loaded.
The invention further contemplates a method of assembling a pull-out mechanism for an article of furniture, such as a storage member. The method involves the steps of securing the article of furniture to a mounting structure, and providing a base arrangement adapted for securing to a supporting surface. The method further includes connecting a series of substantially identically constructed extendible and retractable slide assemblies between the base arrangement and the mounting structure. The number of slide assemblies is selected according to the load requirements for the article of furniture. The slide assemblies are interconnected with the mounting structure and the base arrangement, and provide movement of the mounting structure and the article of furniture between retracted and extended positions. The base arrangement is preferably in the form of a series of base members, each of which is adapted for separate mounting to the supporting surface. The step of interconnecting the slide assemblies with the base arrangement is carried out by securing a fixed inner portion of each slide assembly to one of a series of mounting areas associated with each base member. The method further includes the step of varying the configuration of the base member according to the selected number of slide assemblies, to provide the required number of mounting areas for the selected number of slide assemblies. Each base member preferably includes a floor-engaging member, and the step of varying the configuration of the base member is carried out by securing a series of slide mounting members to the floor-engaging member in configurations adapted to mount varying numbers of fixed inner slide assembly portions.
Various other features, objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent from the following description taken together with the drawings.